A multimedia project in this context is understood to be a spatial presentation in time of a set of data displayable by means of a computer system. The majority of multimedia projects permit the user to interact to a certain extent with the project. Examples of multimedia projects are homepages callable via the Internet or an Intranet or interactive company catalogs, which can be stored on CD-ROMs, for example.
One of the major standard multimedia authoring tools for authoring multimedia projects is the Macromedia Inc. Director(copyright) program. Director(copyright) provides the user with immense possibilities in authoring and editing multimedia projects. Due to this high versatility the user is forced, however, to reckon with a lengthy training period in getting used to the program.
The way in which Macromedia Director(copyright) (simple termed Director(copyright) in the following) works will now be briefly described. When authoring a new multimedia project, termed xe2x80x9cmoviexe2x80x9d in Director(copyright) language, the user begins with an empty Director(copyright) film. He is first required to define his xe2x80x9cactorsxe2x80x9d by entering xe2x80x9ccontentsxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94which may be e.g. texts, images, films, sounds etcxe2x80x94into the casting list, the so-called xe2x80x9ccastxe2x80x9d. The xe2x80x9cactorsxe2x80x9d are then positioned in the display on the so-called xe2x80x9cstagexe2x80x9d, while features such as position and size are defined. At the same time the actors are listed in the script, the so-called xe2x80x9cscorexe2x80x9d, in which the presence in time is defined, i.e. the point in time of an actor appearing on or leaving the stage. The xe2x80x9cscorexe2x80x9d is a table whose columns correspond to time units and in the lines of which the actors are listed for the duration of their staging in the multimedia project. Motion effects of each actor or functions such as e.g. links, events actuated by mouse movements, etc. can be assigned to the actors at the corresponding position in the score via a Lingo(copyright) script. Lingo(copyright) is a programming language of Director(copyright).
A xe2x80x9cpagexe2x80x9d of a multimedia project consists in the simplest (stationary) case of a column of the score, i.e. a single point in time of the movie. Where motion effects or video films are involved a xe2x80x9cpagexe2x80x9d may also extend over a time window making use of several score columns.
Extensive multimedia projects involving intricately interlinked pages quickly become confusing. Since each page incorporates all contents and links, the copying of pages facilitates the job only to a limited degree when working with a standard multimedia authoring tool hitherto available.
One object of the invention is thus to provide a method by means of which the user is able to generate a multimedia project easier than with methods hitherto.
A further object of the invention is to provide an easy-to-use, user-friendly computer program for generating a multimedia project.
The object of the invention is achieved by a method for generating a multimedia project comprising at least one page with the aid of a computer, a storage medium which the computer can access, an input device, a display and a standard multimedia authoring tool comprising the following steps:
providing the multimedia elements desired for the multimedia project on the storage medium,
providing one or more templates generated in the format of the standard multimedia authoring tool with predefined dummies on the storage medium,
defining the structure of the multimedia project with the aid of the input device, the display and computer by defining the desired number of pages of the multimedia project and assigning the pages to desired templates,
saving the structure on the storage medium,
assigning to the dummies the desired multimedia elements and functions with the aid of the input device, the display and the computer and saving the assignments on the storage medium,
communicating the data stored in the two preceding steps to the standard multimedia authoring tool,
generating the multimedia project with the standard multimedia authoring tool using the data communicated in the previous step.
Since the structure and layout of the multimedia project can at first be developed independent of the standard multimedia authoring tool, and thus no knowledge of the standard multimedia authoring tool is required, the work process is simplified for the user. Making use of ready-made templates for generating the pages of the multimedia project is an additional simplification. Now, the user is able to generate a complicated multimedia project practically with no knowledge of the standard multimedia authoring tool since once the structure and layout have been generated subsequent translation of the information thus defined into a multimedia project occurs in an automated way by the standard multimedia authoring tool.
A user is thus able to simply generate a complicated multimedia project without having to familiarize himself with the wealth of details hitherto needed for him to generate a multimedia project with current standard multimedia authoring tools. Now, the user simply selects via a user interface in ready-made menus the desired structure of the project and the templates for the individual pages occurring in the structure of the project and assigns the desired multimedia elements to the dummies on the templates. The data thus defined is then communicated to a standard multimedia authoring tool comprising universal options. This permits simple and efficient generating of multimedia projects, especially of standardized multimedia projects the configuration of which is repeated in many projects making the generation of templates worthwhile without having to sacrifice the wealth of options provided by a standard multimedia authoring tool, since, where necessary, page layout can be done in the standard multimedia authoring tool when single pages require an individual layout and no suitable templates are available.
The method in accordance with the invention allows the generation of a multimedia project to be easily distributed among various users differingly qualified since editing of the templates, of the structure and of the content is tiered separately in processing. This enables e.g. users in different fields such as graphics specialists, managers and developers to work simultaneously on a multimedia project.
The method is implemented to advantage with the aid of a computer program (Multimedia Generation Program, MGP) permitting information as to the defined structure, the generated templates, the dummies used as well as their properties and functions to be communicated to the standard multimedia authoring tool. The conversion itself may be done by a MGP component running in this standard multimedia authoring tool.
In this context it is good practice when information as to dummy properties is available to various components of the program.
Making use of the method in accordance with the invention greatly simplifies the tasks, as compared to using the standard multimedia authoring tool alone, since layout and structure of the multimedia project are separated as well as due to the enhanced flexibility in editing a project already existing or currently being generated since the page content is not contained in the layout but merely references thereto saved in a data base.
Preferably, editing of the templates, defining the structure and assigning of the multimedia elements to the dummies is done via intercommunicating MGP components each differing from the other.
The method is expandable by writing the generated multimedia project on a CD.
The preferred standard multimedia authoring tool is Macromedia Director(copyright) in the version 7.02 or higher.
The method in accordance with the invention is preferably implemented via a user interface in a computer system for generating a multimedia project comprising at least one page, including
an input device for converting information as to the structure of a multimedia project consisting of information as to the desired number of pages of the multimedia project and as to the assignment of the pages to templates containing desired predefined dummies and information as to the assignment of desired multimedia elements and functions to the dummies into a digital representation of the structure as well as of the assignment of desired multimedia elements and functions to the dummies,
a processing device for communicating the digital representation to a standard multimedia authoring tool and generating a digital representation of the multimedia project with the aid of the communicated representation and the standard multimedia authoring tool and
an output device including a display serving to convert the digital representation of the multimedia project into a multimedia project and to display the multimedia project to the user.
The invention relates furthermore to a computer program (multimedia generating program, MGP) for generating a multimedia project comprising at least one page comprising the following elements:
code for generating the templates including predefined dummies in the format of a standard multimedia authoring tool,
code for defining the structure of the multimedia project by defining the desired number of pages of the multimedia project and by assigning the pages to the desired templates generated before,
code for assigning the desired multimedia elements and functions to the dummies of the pages,
code for communicating the data defining the structure and the assignment of the multimedia elements and functions to the dummies to a standard multimedia authoring tool,
code for generating the multimedia project with the aid of the data communicated in the previous step and of the standard multimedia authoring tool.
Making use of such a computer program significantly facilitates the generation of a multimedia project as compared to the conventional practice with the standard multimedia authoring tool since all steps needed to generate the multimedia project run in MGP and the user does not come into contact with the standard multimedia authoring tool involving a complicated learning process.
A further aspect of the invention consists of a method for generating a multimedia project comprising at least one page wherein
one or more templates generated in the format of a standard multimedia authoring tool with predefined dummies is/are made available on a server,
signals output by the server and representing the templates available on the server are received by a computer connected to the server via a network,
signals output by the computer connected to the server via a network and representing the structure of a multimedia project are received by the server, the structure comprising the number of pages of the multimedia project and the assignment of the pages to specific of the templates made available on the server;
the structure is saved on a storage medium connected to the server,
signals output by the computer connected to the server via the network and representing the assignment of the multimedia elements and functions to the dummies are received by the server,
the assignments are saved on the storage medium connected to the server,
the data saved in the previous steps is communicated to a standard multimedia authoring tool saved on the storage medium,
with the aid of the data communicated in the previous step the multimedia project is generated by the standard multimedia authoring tool on the server,
and a signal representing the multimedia project is transmitted from the server to the computer.
In this method the user requires neither the standard multimedia authoring tool nor the MGP to be available on a computer at the user end. Both programs can be saved and run on a server end computer system. The user is required to transmit to the server only information as to the desired appearance of the templates, information as to the structure and assignment of multimedia elements to the dummies as well as the desired multimedia elements themselves.
The signal representing the multimedia project may be a file containing the completed multimedia project and transmitted from the server to the computer of the user. As an alternative the multimedia project generated on the server can be returned to the user e.g. on a CD by mailing.